Stifle
by BondSlave
Summary: Cloud has failed the SOLDIER exam and has run off. Zack is worried sick about his little missing cadet. Sephiroth offers his help in searching for the little cadet. PRT ONE OF BONDSLAVE'S YAOI LIST CHALLANGE.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Final fantasy 7 or any related characters.**

**Authors Note: For my Niichan's Rose-niichan and Sy-niichan. I made them a list of all my favorite yaoi pairings and now I am to write a one-shot for each pairing. The one-shot is to revolve around a single word.**

**PAIRING: SephirothxCloud**

**WORD: Stifle.**

**RATING: PG-13**

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STIFLE

He ignored the calling of his name as he quickly made his retreat; throwing open the doors and quickly trotting down the hall. He felt totally disconnected, he could not even feel his feet as he retreated; in fact he could not feel any part of his physical body. All he could feel was the agonizing pain. Feel how is heart shattered into thousands of un-amendable pieces. _'How could this have happened? I tried so hard, harder than anyone else!' _He finally paused only once he'd escaped the building. He leaned against the wall, hands resting on his knees as he panted to catch his breath. He removed his helmet and tossed it on the ground where it bounced several times with a plastic thud before rolling under a near by dumpster. _'Why is it everyone else passes when they don't try at all and than I fail when I try so hard to succeed! It is not fair!'_

The racket of the training hall was enough to fray anyone's nerves, but the last person anyone expected to complain was a certain SOLDIER first class known by the name of Zack Fair. The black haired seventeen-year-old ran his gloved clad fingers through his spiked hair for the upteenth time in the past five minutes and turned angry mako blue eyes towards the throngs of cadets and third class SOLDIERS gathered around the room. "Zackary what is going on?" The young man blinked and glanced over his shoulder to find General Sephiroth approaching at a steady pace. He seemed unusually calm-as if there were no others in the training hall besides himself and the black haired teenager. Zack turned and crossed his arms glaring hard.

"That bastard Lazard failed Cloud!" He leaned forward thrusting his index finger in the air. Sephiroth blinked at the digit. "Cloud worked his damn ass off! He worked harder than any of these other worthless asses! He should have gotten into SOLDIER!"

Sephiroth gently brushed the annoying digit away from his face and sighed gazing blankly down at the teenager.

"Cloud, he's that young cadet friend of yours correct?"

Zack crossed his arms again and nodded.

"Yeah."

Sephiroth glanced about the room.

"Where is he?"

"That's the problem! He found out he didn't pass and all the others did and now he's run off! I've looked everywhere for him but I can't find him." He bowed his head slightly. "Damn backwater boys and being able to hide so well." He grumbled under his breath.

"I'll help you search for him."

Zack blinked taken totally off guard by the statement and turned his confused attention fully onto the taller man. Sephiroth blinked and gazed down at him.

"What are you looking at Zackary?" The tone was smooth and calm but Zack couldn't miss the warning; Sephiroth did not enjoy being starred at.

"You'll help me look for Cloud?"

"Yes. He is a friend of yours and I know that if he is not found soon I will have to deal with you in panic mode."

Zack blinked and watched as the general made his way towards the exit. But before he left he glanced back over his shoulder and smiled.

Once Sephiroth had exited the training hall relief washed over him, but it was short lived. As glad to be away from the crowds as he was now a new concern took him over; where could this young cadet Cloud have run off to? Sephiroth sighed and paused in the hall crossing his arms, green eyes scanning the many doors and halls. If he were a distressed teenager where would he hide? He closed his eyes lifted a hand and pointed, opening his eyes before moving forward. He passed the doors and the halls and instead headed for the back stairs, the stairs that lead to the back of the Shinra building. Not that he had ever really been a distressed teenager…not that he had never been a teenager, or distressed…he just had never been both at the same time. But had he ever been both at the same time he no doubt would want to escape the oppressing building and get some fresh air-not that Midgar was known for its fresh air.

Cloud had slid down the side of the building, drawing his knees up to his chest and had begun weeping openly. He was not upset so much because he failed to get into SOLDIER but more of the fact he would now be turned out and have to return to his mountain village home. He would have to face _her,_the reason for all his hard work. The teens head snapped up, blue eyes wide, lips parted slightly as the sound of the back door opening reached his ears. He quickly got to his feet looked around for means of escape before shoving himself between the dumpster and the building wall, curling into a ball. He heard the shuffling of boots against the pavement as the person entered the alley. Cloud lifted a hand to his mouth in order to stile a sob that threatened to escape him. He had never been very good at controlling his emotions, when angry he could not control his temper and when sad, he could not stop from crying. He heard the shuffling of the persons boots pause momentarily before approaching. The sudden anxiety of being found out tightening his chest caused the teen to clamp his eyes closed and tremble slightly. How humiliating. First he'd failed the SOLDIER's entrance exam and now he was going to be discovered crying like a child behind a dumpster. He felt pathetically low.

Sephiroth exited the Shinra building, the door closing with a slight slam behind him as he entered the back alley. The glanced around in mild disgust. The alley was filled with cigarette butts empty beer cans and whisky bottles and pieces of trash that seemed to have escaped the dumpster that rested near by. Why SOLDIER's and staff workers enjoyed spending breaks out here was beyond the generals imagining. He glanced around a took several steps down the alley way towards the opening that lead to the street and paused when a small sound met his heightened hearing. He glanced towards the dumpster, eyes narrowing slightly. The sound itself did not interest him and on any other occasion he would not have given the dumpster a second glance but something underneath the dumpster was defiantly out of place. A cadet helmet. He approached the dumpster and arched his body slightly to the side and glanced curiously behind the dumpster. He blinked a look of total curiosity and confusion crossing his usually stern, hard and or emotionless face.

Tucked behind the dumpster, knees pulled to his chest was a young teenager with blond chocobo spikes resting atop his head. His cheeks were slightly flushed and tears spilled down the sides of his face. A gloved hand covered his mouth, no doubt in attempt to stifle his sobbing.

"Would you be perhaps, cadet Strife?"

The teens eyes snapped open and he gazed up, hand slipping form his mouth. He had a look of either total awe or complete horror as he gazed up at the figure stooped beside the dumpster.

"G-G-GEnErAl!" He squeaked attempting to jump to his feet but failed and got himself stuck. He squeaked again accidentally bumping his head against the side of the building. Sephiroth could not help but release a low chuckle. He placed one hand on the side of the dumpster, spreading his feet a bit and pushing. The dumpster shifted easily and the blond who had been momentarily trapped between a dumpster and a hard place collapsed to the pavement landing with a light flop on his back side. Sephiroth felt on odd feeling wash over him as the blond gazed up at him through sorrowful eyes. There was just something about the blond gazing woefully up at him that made Sephiroth oddly giddy. He knelt down to be slightly more level with the teenager.

"No need to be so formal cadet. Even if it does not seem like it, I'm a human being just like you."

The teen's eyes widened slightly causing Sephiroth to chuckle. He was not exactly sure why he'd said that, which in and of itself surprised him, but there was just something about the blond that made him feel open, comfortable. Perhaps it was the blonds uncanny resemblance to his friend Zackary, or perhaps it was something else entirely. "Now," Sephiroth rose to his feet. "I believe a certain SOLDIER first class is worried about you Cadet."

The blond rose to his feet, shoulders slouched head bowed, tears continuing to roll down his cheeks.

"P-please Sir…I'm no longer a cadet…I…I…."

"Failed the SOLDIER exam."

A sob escaped the teen and he lifted a hand to wipe at his eyes. Sephiroth felt a sense of awkwardness wash over him. He was not very good with tears. He never could handle it when people cried. "Don't worry cade-Strife. It will be okay, stop crying."

"I-I'm s-sorry S-S-Sir…but once I start crying I c-c-can't st-stop."

Sephiroth gazed at him for a long moment before going to action. He pushed the teen up against the building, took his chin in his hand and captured his pink lips. The teen's eyes grew huge as he gazed into the calm jade as he was kissed deeply. Sephiroth pressed himself flush against the teen, holding the kiss for a long moment before finally breaking the kiss and taking a step back. He straightened his leather coat as if nothing had happened and gazed at the now silent blond. He had stopped crying and now merely stood there eyes wide, lips parted shoulders slouched.

"You stopped crying."

Cloud blinked as the general shot him an oddly warm smile. _'What is this feeling? Why is he looking at me like that…and why…, why did he kiss me?'_

Sephiroth headed for the back door. "Now come Strife, I need to show you to Zackary in order to keep him from turning into a blabbering idiot." He paused hand on the door handle and gazed up towards the sky. "Not that anything ever stops him." He glanced at a high angle towards the blond. "And if you really wish to stay at Shinra I could always use a prodigy."

Cloud blinked. _'Prodigy?'_

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**Authors Note: Yay. Okay this is way tamer than anything in CHOICE. But that's what I wanted. I wanted it to be questionable, quick and simple and yet cute. ^^ I think I succeeded.**

**Edit: 2/8/12: OMG SO I FINALLY SAW THAT ROMANTICA THING! It was super cute! o.O I'd actually seen scenes from it in a yaoi amv on youtube before but never knew what it was from. Now I know! . I was kind of weirded out about the line thing. But all well. This was inspired by a live action movie (can't remember which one though! Grrr. I think it had Sandra Bullock in it though) not Romantica. But hey, guys kissing, cute idea. -.- Save now I want someone to kiss me while I'm crying. Guh. **


End file.
